Little balls of deliciousness

Christmas Spiced Balls with Love

Just throw these together and be amazed at their Christmas spice flavour

What better way to celebrate – Christmas flavours but without all the sugar overload. I give these little balls of deliciousness as gifts at Christmas time, that’s if they last long enough to get packaged up. They contain plenty of antioxidant acting foods such as the cacao. In a study of 23 healthy subjects, cocoa powder & dark chocolate was seen to modestly decrease LDL oxidation (that’s the cholesterol we want less of), while increasing serum total antioxidant capacity and HDL cholesterol concentrations (that’s the cholesterol we want more of). Cocoa has a range of psychological effects too, including enhanced arousal, cognitive function, and stimulation of feelings of wellbeing and euphoria, an interesting mix at Christmas time! People who see me in clinic are often given a ‘Chocolate Lovers’ handout with lots of recipes and health facts, so they can still enjoy their chocolate but in a healthful way.

¼ teaspoon salt, helps to bring out the flavours, but leave out if you wish

½ cup (45g) desiccated coconut, plus more for rolling the balls in

2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown rice syrup or 1 tablespoon honey

2 heaped teaspoons Chinese Five spice powder

3 heaped teaspoons cinnamon powder

1 heaped teaspoon powdered cloves

How To Make:

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly in a bowl by hand or a food processor.

The mixture can be quite sticky and even a bit sloppy depending on whether the coconut oil was warmed to liquid prior to mixing everything together, if this is the case then pop the mixture in the fridge to firm up a bit.

Roll out small balls firmly with your hands and toss into some desiccated coconut to coat.

Leave in the fridge to set for a short time. These balls can keep for weeks in the fridge, or eaten straightaway.

Merry Christmas 🙂

Christmas spice and chocolate all wrapped up in a gut-loving ball of goodness